Wahkiakum County, Washington
Wahkiakum County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after Chief Wahkiakum ("Tall Timber") of the Chinook. It is the smallest county (by total area) in the state, and has the third-smallest land area (behind San Juan County and Island County). As of 2010, the population was 3,978. The county seat is the town of Cathlamet, which is also the county's largest and only incorporated community. The County operates the Wahkiakum County Ferry, which connects Cathlamet to Westport, Oregon, across the Columbia River. Wahkiakum County was formed out of Cowlitz County on April 25, 1854. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 287 square miles (743 km²), of which 264 square miles (684 km²) is land and 22 square miles (58 km²) (7.83%) is water. Geographic features *Columbia River *Elochoman River *Grays River *Puget Island Adjacent counties *Pacific County, Washington - northwest *Lewis County, Washington - north/northeast *Cowlitz County, Washington - east/southeast *Columbia County, Oregon - south/southeast *Clatsop County, Oregon - south/southwest National protected area *Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge (part) Notable residents *Krist Novoselic, former bass player of the Seattle grunge band Nirvana *Robert Michael Pyle, lepidopterist and author Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 3,824 people, 1,553 households, and 1,108 families residing in the county. The population density was 14 people per square mile (6/km²). There were 1,792 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.46% White, 0.26% Black or African American, 1.57% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.65% from other races, and 2.51% from two or more races. 2.56% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 18.7% were of German, 13.1% Norwegian, 10.6% United States or American, 9.1% English, 7.7% Irish, 6.5% Swedish, and 5.9% Finnish ancestry according to Census 2000. 96.7% spoke English and 2.5% Spanish as a first language. There were 1,553 households out of which 26.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.40% were married couples living together, 6.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.60% were non-families. 24.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.83. In the county, the population was spread out with 23.40% under the age of 18, 5.30% from 18 to 24, 22.20% from 25 to 44, 30.60% from 45 to 64, and 18.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 100.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $39,444, and the median income for a family was $47,604. Males had a median income of $37,123 versus $27,938 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,063. About 5.90% of families and 8.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.00% of those under age 18 and 2.70% of those age 65 or over. Government and politics In the 2008 Presidential election Democrat Barack Obama won the county over Republican John McCain by only 16 votes a margin of 48.87% to 48.17%.http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/statesub.php?year=2008&fips=53069&f=0&off=0&elect=0 Census-recognized cities and towns *Cathlamet - county seat CDP *East Cathlamet Unincorporated communities *Altoona *Brookfield *Dahlia *Deep River *Elochoman Valley *Grays River *Pillar Rock *Puget Island *Rosburg *Skamokawa Grays River, Rosburg, and Deep River are sometimes counted as one community. Wahkiakum See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Wahkiakum County, Washington References *Wahkiakum County, Washington official web site *HistoryLink.org web site for Wahkiakum County, Washington External links * Category:Wahkiakum County, Washington Category:Established in 1854 Category:Counties of Washington (state)